


The Quest for the Perfect Gift

by Golden_Asp



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Secret Santa, Thor goes on a quest for the perfect gift for Steve, everyone is happy, mistletoe is a god killing plant, the other avengers are there too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 06:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17116583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: Thor draws Steve Rogers' name in the Avengers Secret Santa exchange.  He really doesn't get this tradition, so he goes on a quest to find Steve the perfect gift.  Steve isn't quite sure what to think.  Tony just wants to kiss his boyfriend under the mistletoe.





	The Quest for the Perfect Gift

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Marvel Holiday Swap. 
> 
> This is for @starsknice on tumblr/twitter. I don't believe you have an AO3. If you do, I'll add it in! I hope you like this. I had fun writing it.
> 
> For the purposes of this story, Norse mythology involving mistletoe is changed. For this story, the kissing bit didn't come from them, so Thor doesn't know what's going on with it.

“I do not understand this tradition,” Thor said, looking at the slip of paper in his hand.

“It’s a secret Santa, Point Break,” Tony said, offering Steve the hat with their names in it. Steve drew a name, glanced at it and tucked it into his pocket.

“I have been off planet for quite some time, Tony Stark. Who is Santa? Is he an Avenger?”

Clint snorted. “Hell no.”

“I don’t think he’d pass the fitness test,” Natasha said dryly, taking her own slip.

“It’s easy, Thor,” Peter said earnestly. “You get a surprise gift for the person whose name you drew. You have to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah, then we all exchange gifts and we reveal who you had at the end,” Tony said, offering Stephen Strange the hat. Stephen rolled his eyes but drew a name. Wanda and Vision were next, and Carol, Bucky, and Rhodey drew names.

Thor looked at the little slip of paper in his hand and shrugged. He could do this. Really, how hard could it be? They had defeated Thanos; surely he could find a simple gift for one of his shield brothers.

:::

Thor wanted to pull his hair out, which was admittedly much harder than it was before he’d had it all cut off. He had considered growing it back, but honestly it was so much easier to care for this way.

He sat on the edge of the cliffs in Norway, where he and Loki had said farewell to their father. He came here often when he wanted to think. He felt closer to his brother and father here, not that he didn’t get to visit his brother once a year.

“What am I supposed to get Captain Rogers?” Thor muttered, tugging up grass and letting it disappear over the cliff. He knew the others were well on their way with their gifts, and he understood that the gifts were supposed to amusing or funny in some way, but Thor wanted to get Steve something that symbolized their friendship, their time fighting together. He didn’t want to get him some stupid little trinket, he wanted to get him something real, it had to mean something.

Then there was the fact that Thor was attracted to the man. It had started so slowly he had barely noticed it, but he could admit to himself now that he was very, very interested in Captain Steve Rogers. Perhaps it had been the beard that had initially grabbed his attention. Or perhaps it had been how well they always worked together, shield and hammer.

Thor jumped to his feet, swinging Stormbreaker in his hands. “A quest, then,” he said. It had been a while since he’d been on a quest. This would be exciting.

He swung the axe into the air and disappeared in a flash of rainbow light.

:::

Thor’s first stop was the Underworld. He was reluctant to call it Hel, mostly because it was nothing like what he had been taught as a child. It seemed much closer to what he expected Valhalla to be, although to be honest, the denizens in the Underworld seemed to have more fun.

He wasn’t sure if the fact that it wasn’t a dark and dreary place of the dead was because of a change in beliefs, or if because the moment Loki stepped through the gates he declared himself king, kicked out the old guard, and rebuilt it from the ground up.

Thor didn’t come here often; Loki wouldn’t let him. He had told his brother in no uncertain terms that Thor needed to live his life, not follow him to the land of the dead. Once a year Loki would let him visit, and Thor made good use of his permission.

He looked up at the ostentatious palace and shook his head, lips twitching in a smile. He heard that the theatre performed here was truly terrible. 

“Ah, brother, back again, I see,” Loki drawled, stepping out of the shadows.

“Hello, Loki,” Thor said, pulling his brother into a tight hug.

Loki sighed, allowing him the embrace for a grand total of two point seven seconds before he disengaged the hug.

“Hello, Thor.”

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” Thor said, looking around. The gardens were a new addition, blooming with beautiful white flowers.

“Yes, they are quite nice, aren’t they?” Loki said, brushing his fingers over the petals. They walked, Thor updating Loki on the various adventures he’d been on, keeping him up to date with the Asgardian colony. Loki pretended not to care, but Thor knew he did.

Thor lost track of time as they walked, and it was just as the anemic sun was starting to rise in the north that Loki stopped him.

“It’s time for you to go,” Loki said.

Thor sighed. He had completely forgotten his quest to find a gift for Steve.

“What’s that face for?” Loki asked.

“I am on a quest,” Thor said.

“Something glorious and wonderful, I’m sure,” Loki said, voice dry.

“I need a gift for Steve Rogers.”

Loki blinked at him and burst out laughing. “That was not what I expected.”

“The Avengers are doing this tradition Tony Stark called ‘Secret Santa.’ I drew Steve’s name from a hat, and I have to get him a gift.”

“And were you hoping to find him something here? Would you like to take him a pet hellhound? Or maybe a drink from one of the rivers?”

“I don’t believe he would appreciate a hellhound,” Thor said seriously. “And he is nearly as impervious to Midgardian alcohol as I am.”

“First, anyone with any class appreciates a hellhound, second, the river is far from alcohol.”

Thor shrugged, looking around the garden.

“Oh, for the love of…” Loki muttered. “Here.” 

He plucked a flower, it’s huge, white petals quivering in his hand. “It’s just a flower. No special powers, won’t make him vanish in a puff of smoke or kill him. I don’t want him here anyway.”

Thor took the flower, looking at it. It was a truly beautiful specimen, large and white, the center a dark ruby. Thor carefully tucked it into the leather bag at his hip. A flower wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, but it was beautiful.

“Thank you, brother,” Thor said.

“That’s Loki, King of the Underworld, to you.”

Thor’s lips twitched in a smile. “Thank you, oh divine king.”

“Better,” Loki said with a sniff.

Thor grinned and managed to hug his brother one last time. Loki squawked and lifted his hands. There was a flash of white and Thor found himself back in Norway.

“Until next year, brother,” Thor said. He checked his bag and nodded. The flower was still there, as beautiful as it had been in the Underworld. 

He looked skyward. The flower was a good start, but it was not enough.

“Onward, then,” Thor said, swinging Stormbreaker through the air.

His quest was just starting.

:::

Thor swung his axe through a horde of the undead. He had seen enough Walking Dead to know that mortals called them zombies. He had visited a distant realm and found himself ass deep in the shamblers.

He half wished Peter Parker was with him. He and the spider-child had binge watched every zombie show and movie they could find and he knew the boy would truly enjoy the fight, even if Tony Stark would not be happy with him for bringing his child into a fight.

Thor laughed as he threw the axe, lightning spiraling through the dead. He finally saw the wizard that had summoned the horde and he called Stormbreaker back to his hand and leapt over the writhing mass of hungry dead.

The wizard was a paltry thing, nothing compared to Stephen Strange. Thor made a mental note to tell the doctor about this later. He was always interested in magic users, especially ones that were continually trying to kill the Avengers.

“Surrender and you shall live!” Thor bellowed, beheading a zombie as he gave chase to the wizard.

“Never! All shall fall before my wrath! Fear me!”

Thor sighed and swung the axe, separating the wizard and his head. The zombies shuffled around, lost without a purpose now that their master was dead. Thor nudged the wizard’s body with his boot, kneeling when he saw a beautiful horn.

It seemed to be from some type of animal. It was curved and black, etched with runes.

“A beautiful piece. Perhaps this could be a gift for Steve,” Thor said, picking it up. It hummed in his hands as he took a moment to read the runes. Ah, this was the thing that had summoned the undead. “Steve would be able to call an army if he needed one,” Thor mused.

It wasn’t a bad gift, but he wasn’t sure it was it.

He’d keep looking.

:::

Thor stared up at the dragon, armor slightly singed and cape smoking.

“What are you doing here, godling?” the dragon asked, voice rumbling through Thor’s body.

“I came for your head.”

“Unfortunate. I am quite attached to it where it is.”

“You’re very polite, for a dragon,” Thor said.

“How many dragons have you known?”

“Quite a few, actually,” Thor said. “Mostly they’ve tried to eat me.”

The dragon blew out a puff of smoke, tilting his head to look at Thor from one golden eye.

“Why would you need my head?”

“I am on a quest to find a gift for a friend, a soldier.”

“He must mean much to you. Would he appreciate a dragon’s head?”

“I don’t think he knows dragons are real, actually,” Thor admitted.

The dragon let out a laugh that made the mountain shake.

“I will fight you if you try to take my head, but I will give you a scale so you can prove your affection for this friend, and prove that I exist.”

Thor thought about it. A scale would certainly be easier to carry around, and display, than a dragon’s head.

“Agreed,” Thor said, nodding. 

The dragon held one massive leg out and used his claw to fold back a scale. It came off easily and he let it drop. Thor strode forward without fear, picking up the scale that was the size of a dinner plate. It shone with a soft iridescence, glowing in the light.

“I thank you, friend dragon.”

“If you’re ever bored, come visit. Good conversation is so very hard to find.”

Thor grinned, stowing the scale across his back. “I may do that. My mortal friends would be delighted to meet you.”

“Mortals certainly are tasty.”

“I would be very angry if you ate them. And to be honest, Tony Stark would probably give you indigestion.”

He was getting closer to having the perfect gift for Steve, but perhaps Captain America would appreciate something he made with his hands.

To Nidavellir.

:::

“You want to what now?” Eitri said, looking down at Thor.

“I want to make something.”

“You don’t need another weapon, do you?”

“No. This is a gift for a friend. He is a fighter, and I do not want to give him something that could break.”

Eitri shrugged. “You’re on your own. I’m not helping with a trinket.”

Thor nodded. How hard could it be?

Many hours and two explosions later, Thor was finally finished, and Eitri kicked him out and told him not to come back. He’d be cleaning up Thor’s mess for weeks.

Thor found himself back in Norway, staring at the small object in his hand. 

He wasn’t sure it was perfect, but it was as close as he was going to get. He had been away longer than he had anticipated, and he was nearly late for the Avengers party.

:::

Tony bounced from guest to guest, greeting them as they walked in. He was stupidly excited about this. They had been through hell and back multiple times, they were all alive, there were not major threats looming on the horizon.

They deserved to party, damn it.

They were waiting on Thor, and Tony turned the door opened and Thor walked in.

“Forgive me for being late,” Thor said, striding up to Tony.

“It’s fine. We haven’t started yet. Have an eggnog,” Tony said, shoving a glass into Thor’s big hand.

Thor sniffed it cautiously and proceeded to drink the entire thing without stopping. He smacked his lips, beard stained white with droplets.

“Have another,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. Thor took in Tony’s appearance; the man wore quite possibly the ugliest sweater Thor had ever seen, and he was pretty sure those deer on it were engaged in coitus. He wore antlers that lit up, pulsing with color.

“Have an elf hat,” Tony said.

“There are elves here?” Thor said warily. Hopefully they weren’t dark elves. He thought Tony Stark was smarter than inviting them.

“No, jeez. Fine. Santa hat, you can have a Santa hat. There are no elves here.”

Tony shoved a red hat with white fur down on Thor’s head, moving off to greet his boyfriend. Stephen Strange rolled his eyes, but gave in to Tony’s begging for a kiss. Thor watched them. Their interactions always fascinated him; both were strong men, both were duty driven, but when they were together they both relaxed. Thor agreed with the others when they said that Tony deserved happiness. Few had been through as much as Tony Stark.

Thor finished his fourth glass of eggnog and looked around the room. It seemed they were all there. He wandered over to the snack table, filling up a plate and munching on the crackers and meat.

Tony clapped his hands, calling everyone’s attention to him.

“Alright, because I’m super impatient, we’re going to go ahead and exchange Secret Santa gifts! Now, I know that most of the time we’d just leave our gifts under the tree without letting anyone know who their gift was from, but my party my rules. We’re just going to exchange them. Whoever receives is the next to give and so on until all of us have our presents.”

There was some shuffling as everyone grabbed boxes and bags, holding them. 

“I’ll start,” Tony said. He walked over to Wanda and handed her a long, thin box. She took it slowly.

“Is it going to blow up in my face?” she asked warily.

Tony rolled his eyes so hard his antlers nearly fell off. “No. Sheesh. It’s not a bomb. Swear.”

Wanda smiled and slowly opened it. “A wand?”

“Yeah. Custom designed,” Tony said, looking at it nestled in its velvet box. “Stephen helped. It will allow you to channel your magic through it.”

“So I can literally use it as a magic wand?” Wanda asked dryly, gently picking it up. It was beautiful.

“Wingardium Leviosa,” Tony said with a grin.

“Thank you,” Wanda said, tucking it behind her ear. Tony nodded and Wanda picked up the bag at her feet. She walked over to Clint and handed him the bag with a smile.

“Thanks, kid,” Clint said, taking the bag. He gleefully pulled the tissue paper out, laughing when he saw the sweatshirt. “‘Archery has a lot of drawbacks.’ Nice.” He pulled it on over his shirt, grinning widely. “I love it.”

“You’re welcome,” Wanda said. Clint picked up the poorly wrapped package at his feet and walked over to Bruce.

“Here you are,” Clint said, bestowing it upon him with a bow.

Bruce rolled his eyes and put his hot chocolate down, tearing open the package. A t-shirt fell out and Bruce snickered. He put it on, touching the letters. “I don’t need anger management, I just need people to stop pissing me off.”

“Truth!” Tony yelled from his spot on the couch.

“I got a Hulk sized one for you too,” Clint said, “that way you can both wear one.”

“Thanks,” Bruce said, laughing. Clint grinned at him and sat back down. Bruce walked over to Bucky and handed him a box.

“Merry Christmas,” Bruce said.

“Thank you,” Bucky said. He unwrapped it to reveal a rather large book. “1001 Movies to See Before You Die.’ Thank you. I’ll get right on it.”

“I want to watch them too!” Peter said.

“We’ll have a marathon. Or two,” Bucky said.

“Sweet,” Peter said. 

Bucky handed Carol a bag. “You are a very difficult woman to shop for,” Bucky said apologetically.

Carol smiled, taking it from him. “I appreciate your effort no matter what it is. Unless you bought me underwear, then we’re going to have a talk.”

“I did not buy you underwear,” Bucky said, arching his eyebrow. Carol just flashed a smile at him and opened her gift. It was a model airplane, a fighter jet just like the one she had flown before everything.

“Thank you, Bucky,” she said, hugging him tightly.

“You’re welcome, boss.”

Carol smiled at him and handed the box at her feet to Stephen. He took it, grateful that she had made it easy to unwrap.

He choked when he saw it. “Oh my God, you bought me a Bad Dragon mystery box?”

Tony grinned, leaning over to look. “Ohh, Carol, you are my favorite ever.”

“Just make sure you don’t use them where any of the super humans have to hear you. God knows we’ve all heard Tony enough times,” Rhodey said with a grin.

“Oh, I’ll just put us in the mirror dimension and you’ll never know where we’ve done it,” Stephen said, grinning wickedly.

“Oh, kinky!” Tony said, trying to take the box from Stephen.

“Oh, gross,” Peter said. “So don’t want to think about that!”

Stephen swatted Tony with the box. He couldn’t fight the smile on his face as he thanked Carol. Sure, they had more than a few toys, but it certainly never hurt to have spares.

“My turn, then?” Stephen said, setting his gift from Carol aside. Tony finally gave up reaching for it with a sigh, sitting back and taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

“Your turn,” Tony said. He was curious as to what Stephen had gotten for his giftee. He had tried to wrangle an answer out of him, but Stephen had refused to tell him (“It’s a _secret_ Santa, Tony!”)

Stephen smiled and held his hand out in front of him, his thumb and forefinger apart. Tony’s heart stuttered; the last time he saw Stephen’s hand in that configuration the sorcerer gave up the time stone for him

Everyone leaned forward as a flash of light burst from between his fingers, coalescing into a ring. Peter let out a squeal and punched Bucky in excitement, the super soldier retaliating by grabbing him in a headlock. 

Stephen turned to Tony, who was pretty sure his eyes were about to fall out of his head and his heart was going to tear its way out of his chest.

“Anthony, you stole my heart in fourteen million six hundred and five possible realities. I love you. Will you marry me?”

Tony stared at him, eyes dropping to the ring. It seemed to glow with an inner light.

“You son of a bitch,” Tony said, totally not crying. He flung his arms around Stephen’s neck and kissed him. “Yes, asshole.”

“Love you too, douchebag,” Stephen said against his lips, slipping the ring on his finger. The gathered Avengers burst into cheers, hugging both men and looking at the ring. Tony glued himself to Stephen’s side. He wouldn’t be leaving his side anytime soon.

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Tony said over the excited chattering of (mostly) Peter. “People still have gifts to give. Though I doubt anyone will beat mine.” He looked at his ring again, completely flummoxed that he was an engaged man. Again.

“Who’s next then?” Clint asked, grinning. He may have been a little drunk.

“I’ll go,” Steve said. He stood up and carried a rather large box over to Peter. “Merry Christmas, kid.”

“Oh, thanks Mr. Captain!”

“You can call me Steve, you know,” Steve said, shaking his head fondly.

“If we get him a sweater and a tie you can call him Mr. Rogers,” Tony said. 

“Stop being helpful,” Stephen said, rolling his eyes.

“Is Mr. Rogers that really old, creepy show with the puppets and the dude?” Peter asked, looking up.

“Just open your gift, Underoos,” Tony said, laughing against Stephen’s shoulder.

Peter tore open the predictably red, white, and blue wrapping paper and let out an excited screech.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! You got me the helicarrier Lego set!”

“I figured you and Ned could go crazy with it,” Steve said.

Peter set the box down and tackled Steve in a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

“I better not find pieces of that around the tower this time. I step on them every time I have to use the bathroom,” Tony said, grinning at how happy Peter was. Steve had come to him and asked what Peter liked.

“You won’t, I swear.”

“Just like you said I wouldn’t find pieces of Hogwarts all over the place?”

“That was one time!”

“Peter, just give your gift,” Wanda said, grinning at the younger man.

“Right.” He picked up a box and carried it to Natasha. “Here you go. Merry Christmas.”

He would forever deny blushing slightly as he handed her the gift. He couldn’t help it! He was a teenager and she was pretty!

She thanked him and took it, opening it and letting out a quiet laugh. She held up a large, black, plastic briefcase. “The Ultimate Mission Spy Kit, everything your young spy needs to get started.”

Bucky and Clint nearly fell over themselves laughing so hard. “What’s in it?” Clint asked.

“Let’s see, night vision goggles, walkie talkies, a laser pointer for some reason.”

“You never know when you might need to distract a cat!” Peter said.

Natasha laughed. “There’s also an eight in one watch gadget, and an evidence gathering kit.”

Clint grinned. “Everything a kid needs to spy on what mommy and daddy do in their private fun times!”

“Oh my God,” Peter said, covering his face.

“Thank you, Peter. I love it,” Natasha said, hugging him tightly. Peter smiled at her and shuffled back next to Thor.

Natasha smiled and walked over to Rhodey, handing him a bag. He took it from her, arching his eyebrow. It was relatively lightweight, in a blue and silver bag. 

He pulled out a sweatshirt, cursing at her.

“Army? Are you serious?”

Tony snickered, taking a picture of Rhodey’s outraged face.

“Look closer, Colonel,” Natasha said over the sound of Carol’s snickers.

“Army,” Rhodey read off the front of the sweatshirt. “AF Rejected Me Yesterday.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes and shoved it back in the bag. “I hate you so freaking much, Natasha.”

“You adore me.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Rhodey said, getting to his feet. He carried a bag over to Vision. “Here you go, Vis.”

“Thank you, Colonel,” Vision said, taking the bag and opening it. “‘The Post-Apocalyptic Cookbook.’ Is there an apocalypse coming?”

“God, I certainly hope not,” Tony said.

“None that I’m aware of,” Rhodey said. “But now, if it does, we’re coming to you for cooking purposes.”

“I will ascertain to learn them all,” Vision said, lips curled into a smile. Vision pulled out a very small package and carried it to Thor.

“For you,” Vision said.

Thor smiled, taking it from him. He was surprised at how incredibly heavy it was. He glanced at Vision in askance.

“I changed its molecular structure,” Vision said, “to make it very heavy.”

Thor opened it, gasping quietly. It was a small, perfectly formed miniature of Mjolnir, heavy and gleaming. He touched it reverently. He loved Stormbreaker, but he still missed Mjolnir, and always would.

“Thank you, my friend,” Thor said, attaching the miniature to his belt.

Vision nodded and went back to sit next to Wanda and she smiled at him.

Thor cleared his throat and pulled out a large leather bag. He thought he had a better idea of how this Secret Santa thing worked now, and he was worried about the reception of his gifts. They were certainly not amusing or romantic.

“I had a very difficult time finding a gift for you, Steve,” Thor started. He reached into the bag and pulled out the flower. Steve blinked, tilting his head.

“It’s uhh…nice?” Steve said, taking it carefully.

“You went to the Underworld for a flower?” Stephen asked.

Steve looked at the flower warily. “Is it going to do anything?”

“No, it is just a flower,” Thor said. “And I was visiting Loki anyway and I decided I would start my quest for your gift there.”

“You went on a quest?” Carol asked.

“Yes. And I found this,” Thor said, pulling out the horn. Stephen Strange lurched to his feet, slamming his hands together and creating a magic shield around the horn.

Everyone stared at him warily; Tony’s armor was half formed, Carol stood rigidly next to them, and Steve just looked confused.

“Where did you find that?” Stephen said.

Thor tilted his head. “A wizard was using it to summon armies of the dead.”

“Yes, that’s what it’s used for,” Stephen said tersely. “It was stolen from Kamar-Taj. It’s highly dangerous.”

“Wait. You were going to give Steve a horn that could summon a literal zombie army?” Tony said, his armor receding back into the housing unit on his chest.

“I thought it could be useful,” Thor said.

“That’s…romantic?” Tony said, scratching his head. He missed the way Steve blushed slightly. The beard was certainly handy for hiding that.

“Uh…I appreciate the thought, Thor, but I think I’ll let Stephen handle that one,” Steve said, still holding his flower. At least the flower shouldn’t summon an army of the undead. 

“Perhaps that is best,” Thor agreed, stepping back and letting Stephen handle the horn.

“Just one little blow?” Tony asked, reaching out to touch. The Cloak slapped his hand away.

“Absolutely not,” Stephen said, creating a portal. He quickly told Wong what he had and the other master immediately took possession of the horn, moving to lock it away. Stephen would check on it later.

“Forgive me for that one,” Thor said to Stephen.

Stephen waved his hand, slowly relaxing back into the couch. “I am glad you found it, but it definitely doesn’t need to belong to any of us.”

Thor nodded solemnly and pulled out a shining, iridescent scale. Steve took it with interest, turning it in his hands.

“It’s beautiful. What is it?”

“A dragon scale,” Thor said. “I was going to —”

“Hold the phone,” Tony said. Thor frowned, looking at him. 

“I do not have a phone,” Thor reminded him.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Never mind that. Dragons are real?”

“Of course they are,” Thor said. Stephen nodded in agreement.

Tony grabbed Stephen’s arm, bouncing on his toes. “Dragons! I want to meet a dragon!”

“He seemed quite open to meeting you all,” Thor said.

“And eating us?” Stephen asked.

“I told him Tony Stark would give him indigestion.”

Steve burst out laughing, waving his hand in apology at the look Tony gave him.

“Tony gives all of us indigestion,” Clint pointed out.

“See if I invite any of you to my wedding,” Tony said with a sniff.

“Just because you have a crush on the dragon from _The Hobbit_ doesn’t mean you actually want to meet a dragon,” Wanda said.

“Hey, that dragon sounds just like my fiancé,” Tony said. “Wait, have you met a dragon?”

“Stephen dropped me into another dimension with one when I was being, in his words, a whiny bitch at Kamar-Taj,” Wanda said, flashing a smile at Stephen.

Stephen bowed slightly. “And look how much you learned.”

Wanda just grinned, sitting back.

Steve kept turning the dragon scale in his hands. It was quite sturdy, and he had half a mind to create a smaller shield out of it. He’d have to look into it. Maybe Thor could help.

“Thank you, Thor,” Steve said.

Thor reached into his bag and pulled out a small necklace with a fist sized medallion on the end of it. Steve barely managed to juggle his dragon scale and flower and grab it when Thor thrust it into his hand.

“Runes for protection and luck,” Thor said gruffly. Was he actually embarrassed?

Steve looked at it. It was heavy, hanging on a leather cord. “What is it made of?”

“Uru,” Thor said. “I ah…made it.” Yes, he was blushing.

Steve looked surprised, and was very glad that most of the others had wandered off after the reveal of the dragon scale, moving to the food.

Steve smiled softly at Thor, running his thumb over the etched runes. “Thank you. I love it.” It was by far his favorite of the gifts Thor had given him. He put it on and fell against his shirt. He noted that it felt warm against his skin and he smiled at Thor.

“Let me go put these in a safe place where Tony won’t touch them and we can grab some food?” Steve asked. Thor nodded, turning to watch the others.

He saw Tony and Stephen standing close to each other, completely absorbed by each other. He watched them for a moment, and then his eyes drifted above their heads.

“Beware!” Thor bellowed, lifting his hand. An arc of lightning shot from his palm, frying the innocuous looking plant above their heads.

Tony and Stephen leapt apart, Stephen summoning his spinning shields and Tony’s armor crawling over his body. Tony looked up as the pitiful remains of the plant fell into his palm.

“Are you kidding me, Point Break? Did you just fry my mistletoe?” 

“It is a very dangerous plant,” Thor said slowly.

Stephen bit back a laugh, his shields disappearing. Tony groaned, his head falling against Stephen’s chest.

“Thor, buddy, pal, friend,” Tony said, “it’s a mortal thing. Like, mistletoe is part of our mating rituals.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Natasha said. “It’s a holiday thing. You have to kiss whoever is standing under it.”

“Why?” Thor asked.

“Because we’re drunk most of the time and lonely?” Tony asked.

“Tradition, mostly,” Steve said.

“Yeah, we don’t poison people with it,” Bucky said.

“Or turn it into arrows and shoot people with the plant,” Clint added.

“Shouldn’t you know all this?” Vision asked curiously. “Much of it comes from Norse mythology.”

“Which you mortals have changed immensely since we were here,” Thor pointed out. “Of course, much has changed in recent centuries as well. We had our own legends about it, and it was a god killer.”

“ANYWAY,” Tony said loudly. “You didn’t need to fry my poor mistletoe.”

“I am sorry.”

Tony waved his hand. “Eh, it’s fine. FRIDAY, just throw up some holographic mistletoe.”

“Got it, boss,” FRIDAY said. Holographic mistletoe shimmered into existence around the room.

“Good,” Tony said, grabbing Stephen by the front of his shirt and hauling him down for a kiss. Steve rolled his eyes and handed Thor a stein of beer.

“Walk with me?” Steve asked as the rest of the Avengers drifted off into groups.

“Of course,” Thor said. The two headed to the large garden balcony, fairy lights strung from tree to tree.

“Thank you for the gifts,” Steve said.

“I am sorry about the horn. It was perhaps not the best idea I’ve had.”

“Stephen seemed happy to get it back. Shall we take bets on how long it takes Tony to find it and play with it?” Steve asked, smiling around his mug.

“A month at most,” Thor said, “although he will have a more difficult time getting to it with Wong there.”

“That is not a man you want to piss off. Bucky took his sandwich. Once.”

Thor chuckled again as they leaned against the balcony rail, looking over the city.

“You didn’t have to go on a quest to get me a gift, you know?” Steve asked.

Thor tilted his head, looking at him from the corner of his eye. “I wanted to get you something that symbolized our friendship, the battles we have fought together. A…trinket from a Midgardian store would mean nothing.”

“I do appreciate it,” Steve said, fingering the medallion around his neck. “You made this, huh?”

“I did,” Thor said. “I thought you would appreciate something I made with my own hands, not a flower I picked or a horn I found, or even a dragon scale taken from the leg of a dragon. I was originally going to bring you his head, but he was very polite.”

Steve choked on his drink. “You were going to bring me a dragon’s _head_?”

“It is tradition. Or it was,” Thor said. “But as I said, he was very polite and offered me a scale instead.”

“I’m…glad, actually. I would have no idea what to do with a dragon’s head.”

Thor smiled wryly. “And what will you do with the scale?”

“I’m thinking of making a small shield from it. It’s a very sturdy material. It could rival Vibranium. Anyway, I ask asking about the medallion. You made this.” It was a statement, and there was a thread of warmth through Steve’s voice that flustered Thor.

“I went to Nidavellir and created it from the same metal that Stormbreaker is made of. I only blew up one forge.”

Steve smiled, resting his hand on Thor’s forearm. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

Thor looked at him. They were equals in height, blue eyes meeting blue and brown. Thor glanced up and pointed.

“Poisonous plant,” he said.

Steve smiled. “Bet Tony programmed them to follow everyone around.”

“I would not put it past him,” Thor said, his heart thudding in his chest. He wasn’t sure what to do. He knew he wanted to kiss the man before him, but he wasn’t sure what would be acceptable.

Steve smirked at him, blue eyes sparkling. “Well?”

Thor let out a breath and stepped forward. Neither man had to reach to press their lips together. Thor’s arms slipped around Steve’s waist and Steve wrapped his arms around Thor’s neck. The kiss started chaste, slow, but quickly turned deeper, their tongues sliding against the other, beards rasping against skin, breath mingling.

They pulled back only at a loud wolf whistle from Tony. Steve shook his head, their foreheads pressed against each other’s.

“What do you say we get out of here?” Thor whispered.

“Sounds like plan to me,” Steve said.

Thor wrapped one arm around Steve’s waist and swung Stormbreaker through the air, the two disappearing in a flash of rainbow light.

“Son of a bitch!” Tony yelled, looking at the ruined balcony finish. He’d _just_ gotten that repainted too!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Happy whatever you celebrate, and if you don't, happy day.
> 
> comments and kudos are love.


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